City freaks out as mystery orange light appears in night sky

Bizarre orange light flashing across the sky of an English city sparked panic in residents this week as theories swirled over what it could be.

Residents of Hull, a port city in East Yorkshire, England, filmed and photographed the strange event, which reportedly lasted several minutes on Wednesday evening (local time).

Footage shared to Facebook showed a light pulsating across the darkness that didn’t appear to be accompanied by any sound.

Many took to social media as the mysterious flashing continued, with several looking for validation they weren’t alone in noticing it.

“Just me or does anyone else see this weird orange light in the sky tonight or am I missing something that’s going on tonight in Hull?,” one person wrote to Twitter.

“Anyone know why the sky is flashing orange in Hull tonight?,” another said.

In a local Facebook group, the uncommon sight generated speculation over what the cause could be.

While some joked the light was the result of a BMW owner finally deciding to use their indicator, others were convinced there was an extra-terrestrial explanation.

Several said they had witnessed the lights multiple times before and had never given it a second thought, putting it down to the nearby Lindsey Oil Refinery.

“Probably the light from the burn-off flames at either of the nearby refineries reflecting off low cloud. If conditions are right you can see them from miles away,” someone wrote.

The speculation was confirmed by Humberside Police, which wrote to Facebook stating the “glow” was nothing to be concerned about.

“We've had a few calls re the red glow over the south bank of the Humber which we believe to be excess gas being burned off at an Immingham refinery,” the post read.

Humberside Fire & Rescue also investigated after receiving reports of a fire near the Immingham Docks, Hull Live reported.

“There was nothing for us to put out as the orange glow in the sky is just a flare stack created by routine burning at the oil refinery,” a spokesperson said.

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